WEBVTT - Follow up 

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<v Speaker 1>Welcome to Before Breakfast, a production of I Heart Radio.

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<v Speaker 1>Good Morning, This is Laura. Welcome to the Before Breakfast podcast.

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<v Speaker 1>Today's tip is to make a plan to follow up.

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<v Speaker 1>So often people take an initial silence or noncommittal answer

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<v Speaker 1>as a no, and sometimes it is a no, but

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<v Speaker 1>sometimes it isn't, which is why it pays to follow up.

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<v Speaker 1>Let's picture this scenario. You are reaching out to someone

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<v Speaker 1>that a friend suggested you meet. Maybe this person works

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<v Speaker 1>at a company you've long been intrigued by, where you

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<v Speaker 1>might like to work some day too. You write a

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<v Speaker 1>note introducing yourself and asked to talk. The person replies

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<v Speaker 1>that she is slammed right now, but can we follow

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<v Speaker 1>up next month? What do you do with this? A

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<v Speaker 1>great many people simply interpreted as no. Another rather high

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<v Speaker 1>proportion of people decide that this means what it means

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<v Speaker 1>this month is really busy, but they don't make a

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<v Speaker 1>plan to do anything with that information. Time passes and

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<v Speaker 1>they move on to other things. Somewhere in the back

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<v Speaker 1>of their minds, they remember that this was a potential contact,

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<v Speaker 1>but even that gets mushy after the weeks go by,

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<v Speaker 1>so nothing happens. Then there are some folks who write

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<v Speaker 1>back with sounds good, I will follow up next month.

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<v Speaker 1>Then they put it on their calendars on a specific

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<v Speaker 1>date early in the next month to reach out again.

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<v Speaker 1>On that date, they write a follow up note, revisiting

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<v Speaker 1>the initial request. Which approach do you think is more effective?

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<v Speaker 1>Following up doesn't always yield results, but it's far more

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<v Speaker 1>likely to yield results than doing nothing. I mean, let's

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<v Speaker 1>face it, someone you reached out to is probably not

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<v Speaker 1>going to remember to follow up with you. It's up

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<v Speaker 1>to you to make it happen. So it's up to

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<v Speaker 1>you to have a system to make it happen. This

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<v Speaker 1>really doesn't need to be that complicated. If you ask

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<v Speaker 1>and someone suggests a better time for following up, take

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<v Speaker 1>them at their word. Next week means sending a follow

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<v Speaker 1>up note next Monday. Next month means sending a follow

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<v Speaker 1>up note on the first work day of the following month.

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<v Speaker 1>Next year means the first work day of the new year. Now,

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<v Speaker 1>I will admit that anyone punting you off to the

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<v Speaker 1>next year might not be a completely great prospect, But

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<v Speaker 1>you never know. Maybe they had tons of business last

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<v Speaker 1>year and none this year. Maybe this person is now

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<v Speaker 1>in need of help themselves help you might be able

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<v Speaker 1>to offer in addition to whatever you are asking from them.

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<v Speaker 1>There is no harm done by sending a follow up note.

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<v Speaker 1>Sending a dozen notes to a person can bend into

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<v Speaker 1>the realm of being uncomfortable for everyone, but two or

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<v Speaker 1>three doesn't cross into that category at all, And often

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<v Speaker 1>people do just get busy. We all go through times

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<v Speaker 1>when we are overcommitted or our work cycles are at

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<v Speaker 1>their peak. An accountant might want to talk with you

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<v Speaker 1>about the neighborhood committee, but not on March. Follow up

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<v Speaker 1>in late April, when she tells you she is emerging

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<v Speaker 1>from busy season and you are far more likely to

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<v Speaker 1>get a yes. Do you have any great stories from

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<v Speaker 1>having a system for following up? If so, I'd love

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<v Speaker 1>to hear about them. You can reach me at Laura

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<v Speaker 1>at Laura Vanderkamp dot com. In the meantime, this is Laura.

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<v Speaker 1>Thanks for listening and here's to making the most of

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<v Speaker 1>our time. Hey, everybody, I'd love to hear from you.

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<v Speaker 1>You can send me your tips, your questions, or anything else.

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<v Speaker 1>Just connect with me on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram at

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<v Speaker 1>before Breakfast Pod. That's b E the number four then

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<v Speaker 1>breakfast p O d. You can also shoot me an

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<v Speaker 1>email at before Breakfast podcast at iHeartMedia dot com that

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<v Speaker 1>Before Breakfast is spelled out with all the letters. Thanks

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<v Speaker 1>so much, I look forward to staying in touch. Before

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<v Speaker 1>Breakfast is a production of I heart Radio. For more

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